GRAIN CROPS 



15 



crops are grown for forage rather than for grain. Buck- 

 wheat and flax are the only important grain crops which are 

 not cereals, unless such crops as the field pea, the cowpea, 

 and the soy bean are included. The last named crops are 

 usually grown for forage, but may be harvested for their 

 seeds. The area in corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, flax, rice, 

 and buckwheat in 1909, according to the Census figures, 

 was 191,300,000 acres; the total production was 4,500,298,000 

 bushels; and the total value, $2,726,827,000. The acreage, 

 production, and value of each of these crops are shown in 

 Table I. 



Table I. Acreage, production, and value of each of the important 

 grain crops in the United States in 1909, and the total for all 

 grain- crops. 



The improved farm acreage in the United States in 1909 

 was 477,424,000 acres. Of this total, 40.09 per cent was in 

 grain crops, as follows: Corn, 20.61 per cent; wheat, 9.28 

 per cent; oats, 7.36 per cent; barley, 1.61 per cent; rye, 0.46 

 per cent; flax, 0.44 per cent; buckwheat, 0.18 per cent; and 

 rice, 0.15 per cent. The percentages of each of the important 

 grain crops as compared with the total of all grains in acre- 

 age, yield, and value are shown in Table II. 



